Take your position

Judges 7:15-25

Mathew 5;14-16

Have you ever fought a losing battle? Your team is behind 100-0 but there’s still time left on the clock. You only realized this morning that you are writing that exam, and you haven’t studied at all the entire semester. You work for a promotion, but the guy you are up against is heir to the family business, or better qualified, more experienced, or simply more likely to get it for a bunch of different and discriminating reasons. Fighting a losing battle! We’ve all been there...

But not when we belong to God. When we belong to God, the battle also belongs to God. As we see today in Israel’s case, the battle belonged to God before His people even stepped upon the field. Yet, they had to step upon the field, nonetheless.

We understand that the battle belongs to the Lord. We understand that Christ did a complete work of Salvation on the Cross. But we must also understand that our sanctification is a process. We also need to understand that we still have a role to play and a position to fill in God’s Kingdom. Even though we are ahead on the scoreboard, and we cannot (really) lose anymore, we must still partake in the game. We must still play our role if we want to be part of the winning team.

Each man among the 300 understood that God would give them victory. But each of them still had to light the torch and make some noise. And even after their enemies fled, other tribes of Israel had to join the chase as well. These men knew God would come through, but they also knew how to take their position on the battlefield.

Today we continue the topic of brotherhood and discipleship. We can only ever be part of the winning team if we understand the roles we and others play on the field. Jesus is Captain and Coach, all in one. But we must fall in behind Him, shoulder-to-shoulder with each other. His Kingdom is advancing, and we don’t want to fall behind, nor hold others back. In fact, we’d rather be in step with Him, wouldn't we?

We have three main positions to take in His ever-advancing Kingdom. 1) A Position as a disciple. 2) Our Positions as the light in the darkness. 3) And the Position as the man of our house.

1. As a disciple of Christ, you are to be a dauntless follower of our Lord and Savior. Making it a priority to stay personally connected to Him through prayer, studying God’s Word, and staying devoted to His Will in our lives through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This also means we guide others to follow in His steps as we do. Never wavering. A Dauntless Disciple!

2. Like Gideon’s 300 men, we are also to light up our torches and make some noise within the darkness of our world. We are the light of the world, making known the works of our Father (Matthew 5:14-16). A Mighty Warrior!

3. We can never stretch enough the importance of truly being the man of the house. Like the men who took their positions during the changing of the guard, we must also take our positions as men, husbands, and fathers to be watchmen over our families. Light the torch and sound the alarm to let all darkness know under whose Authority your house stands – Jesus’. If you stand under His Authority, you can also stand in His Authority over your loved ones. A Fearless Family Leader!

Read Judges 7:15-25 and Reflect on the Following

1. Which position(s) are you struggling to take in your walk with Christ?

A Dauntless Disciple; a Mighty Warrior; or a Fearless Family Leader?

2. Why is this a struggle, and how can you start stepping into that gap?

3. What do you need to pray about today?

Take your position

Judges 7:15-25

Mathew 5:14-16

Have you ever fought a losing battle? Your team is behind 100-0 but there’s still time left on the clock. You only realized this morning that you are writing that exam, and you haven’t studied at all the entire semester. You work for a promotion, but the guy you are up against is heir to the family business, or better qualified, more experienced, or simply more likely to get it for a bunch of different and discriminating reasons. Fighting a losing battle! We’ve all been there...

But not when we belong to God. When we belong to God, the battle also belongs to God. As we see today in Israel’s case, the battle belonged to God before His people even stepped upon the field. Yet, they had to step upon the field, nonetheless.

We understand that the battle belongs to the Lord. We understand that Christ did a complete work of Salvation on the Cross. But we must also understand that our sanctification is a process. We also need to understand that we still have a role to play and a position to fill in God’s Kingdom. Even though we are ahead on the scoreboard, and we cannot (really) lose anymore, we must still partake in the game. We must still play our role if we want to be part of the winning team.

Each man among the 300 understood that God would give them victory. But each of them still had to light the torch and make some noise. And even after their enemies fled, other tribes of Israel had to join the chase as well. These men knew God would come through, but they also knew how to take their position on the battlefield.

Today we continue the topic of brotherhood and discipleship. We can only ever be part of the winning team if we understand the roles we and others play on the field. Jesus is Captain and Coach, all in one. But we must fall in behind Him, shoulder-to-shoulder with each other. His Kingdom is advancing, and we don’t want to fall behind, nor hold others back. In fact, we’d rather be in step with Him, wouldn't we?

We have three main positions to take in His ever-advancing Kingdom. 1) A Position as a disciple. 2) Our Positions as the light in the darkness. 3) And the Position as the man of our house.

1. As a disciple of Christ, you are to be a dauntless follower of our Lord and Savior. Making it a priority to stay personally connected to Him through prayer, studying God’s Word, and staying devoted to His Will in our lives through the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This also means we guide others to follow in His steps as we do. Never wavering. A Dauntless Disciple!

2. Like Gideon’s 300 men, we are also to light up our torches and make some noise within the darkness of our world. We are the light of the world, making known the works of our Father (Matthew 5:14-16). A Mighty Warrior!

3. We can never stretch enough the importance of truly being the man of the house. Like the men who took their positions during the changing of the guard, we must also take our positions as men, husbands, and fathers to be watchmen over our families. Light the torch and sound the alarm to let all darkness know under whose Authority your house stands – Jesus’. If you stand under His Authority, you can also stand in His Authority over your loved ones. A Fearless Family Leader!

Read Judges 7:15-25 and Reflect on the Following

1. Which position(s) are you struggling to take in your walk with Christ?

A Dauntless Disciple; a Mighty Warrior; or a Fearless Family Leader?

2. Why is this a struggle, and how can you start stepping into that gap?

3. What do you need to pray about today?

Less is More

Judges 7:1-14

The more the merrier they say. This might be true at celebrations. It’s not necessarily the case when we have great tasks at hand. Then ‘too many cooks can ruin the pot’ and ‘idle hands will start doing the devil’s work’. Obviously though when we are heading to war the numbers game seems relevant. If we outnumber the enemy, we should be victorious. If we are outnumbered by the enemy, we might not succeed. Or so we think.

The reality is that God does more with less of us and less with more of us. As John the Baptist said when questioned about Jesus, “He must become greater, and I must become less.” (John 3:30). If Christ would become more prominent within us, and our own desires would become less, how much more would we gain? If we have less ambition for our own glory and more obedience to His, how much higher could our spirit soar? If we would demand less and give more, how much more joyous would our relationships be – especially our marriages? If we spoke less of ourselves and asked more about others, how much better would our conversations go? If Jesus would be more and would be less, our efforts would truly be more blessed.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

– Philippians 2:3-4

When we let go of our own desires and demands, God awakens the core essentials of our masculinity. This does not mean you don’t want or need anything anymore. It does not mean you let go completely of your passion and live without purpose. In fact, you will find your true passion and greater purpose as a man when you allow Christ to play a bigger part in your life. He needs to play the biggest role in your life. The more you become like Christ, the more of a man you’ll be. Your story is all about His Glory. His Glory in your personal growth. His Glory in your workplace. His Glory in your church. His Glory in your city. And His Glory in your family and all other relationships. That’s devoted discipleship!

Speaking of relationships, as men we do need brothers. We need fellow men of God to run into danger with us. We need advisors for wise counsel within the battle. But as we see with Gideon, 300 is better than 30, 000. Less is more. When we want to go through life focused on God’s Glory, His plan and purpose for our lives, and the well-being of our families, then we’ll need a close-knit band of brothers. Not an army of advisors. Too many advisors bring confusion, not counsel. We need to know who to listen to, and who not to. And when to listen to who and for what reason.

As the Scriptures say, “One who has unreliable friends soon comes to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” (Proverbs 18:24), and “The wise prevail through great power, and those who have knowledge muster their strength. Surely you need guidance to wage war, and victory is won through many advisors.” (Proverbs 24:5-6).

So, let us become less, and allow Christ to become greater within us. And let us discerningly select our inner circle of men. As with Gideon, God will also show you who these men could be. Who they should be. Only a handful, but trustworthy, faithful, spiritually sound, and like-minded men. Each one looking out for the interests of the other and not only the interest of himself.

Read Judges 7:1-14 and Reflect on the Following

1. In which ways should you become less, and allow Christ to become greater?

2. When looking at your band of brothers, do you think all of them add positively to your life?

3. If you were to select only a handful of men you can take on life with, who would they be?

4. What do you need to pray about today?

Signs and Sirens

Judges 6:33-40

The sirens go off. You get up and gear up as fast as you can. Running towards the apparatus floor you witness a big cloud of smoke above your beloved city, and as you jump into the truck you brace yourself for a fierce fight.

Many of us have dreamt of becoming heroes who answer the call when the siren sounds. Firemen, police officers, soldiers, rescue rangers, paramedics, and the list goes on. Some of us reading this might very well be first responders, while others might relate to this scenario not because they dreamt of being the hero, but because they’ve been a victim or witness of disasters such as these.

The neighboring nations have gathered and their settling on Israel’s doorstep. Ready to ravage and hungry to hunt. Maybe they’ve heard about Gideon’s sudden rise or maybe they’ve simply grown tired of this foreign threat among them. But Gideon, covered with the Spirit of God, sounds the alarm and rallies the troops. There are villains in the valley, and they best not take the hill.

We all like to think we will act bravely when called upon in an emergency. Reality is that we are in fact called upon as brave men every day. Called up to lead a family without fear, but full of faith. Called up, if still single, to prepare ourselves to be men, husbands, and fathers of valor. Called up to not sit back, relax, and see what the next generation does when we’re old, but rather stay involved as wise advisors and chiefs who have battled in the brigade and now point the way onwards.

Will you answer the call when the sirens go off? Well, the sirens go off every day, all around you. Starting at home, ringing to hell and back, and trying to force you back into hiding. But that’s not you. It simply can’t be. It should not be. Not anymore, and no longer!

We all need confirmation, as Gideon did. It was not from a place of uncertainty, but rather at a place of seeking certainty. Safety checks, signposts, roadmaps, roll call, and gear prep are all part of preparation for first responders – all part of taking as much certainty as possible into the most uncertain situations.

What confirmation do you need to go out with certainty today? What uncertainties are you facing in your life, when the sirens go off around you, in the world as you know it? Start asking God for His confirmation of your calling every morning before you leave the house. Every Sunday before starting the new week. Every time you face a new challenge.

God gives confirmation of His calling. You just need to know where to look for it. The confirmation you need is all around you. It is in the world in need. It is in God’s Word. It is in the fellowship of other godly men, reassuring us and themselves around a coffee table or a campfire. It is in the longing and the needs of our wives and children. It is with your next-door neighbor facing a crisis, and it’s in the questions society is asking – or even ignoring.

So, take your uncertainties to God despite the odds. Ask Him to confirm your calling. He will be faithful! The bigger question is: will you be faithful? Will you respond when the sirens sound and the smoke smolders? You can. You must. Read the signs and respond to the sirens!

Read Judges 6:33-40 and Reflect on the Following

1. In God’s Kingdom, we are all first responders. Do you see yourself that way?

2. What sirens go off around you every day that you need to start responding to?

3. What confirmations are you waiting on God for in terms of your calling?

4. What do you need to pray about today?

Fire up the future

Judges 6:19-32

Have you ever needed a change? Maybe a change from the usual, the mundane, or simply just a change in what you eat for breakfast?

Everyone needs change every now and again. Everyone also fears change. In fact, most people don’t really like change. Because when we want things around us to change, we must first change ourselves. And that’s uncomfortable. Here’s an obvious secret for you: when you want to go forward, you can’t keep looking backward. You can’t move forward when you’re being held back. In other words, when you want change, and desperately need it, you must make a few adjustments yourself.

Gideon quickly realized this shortly after discovering his true nature in God. The fuel for his future would be setting fire to his past. If he was going forward with what God was calling him towards, he had to burn the things that would pull him backward. In Gideon’s case, these things were old habits, family customs, and village idolatry. In our case, it might be addictions, procrastination, self-esteem, anxieties, or a variety of bad habits.

Gideon had to place the Asherah pole, the literal symbol of idolatry in his town, on God’s altar. God commanded him to physically place on the altar the things of his past that came between God and his people, between God and his family, and light it up. Initially, Gideon might have felt some turmoil. Some anxiety. But God stilled it with His Peace. Gideon might have had some fears, but God gave him boldness. He might have been uncertain, but with God’s help, he was able to come up with a sound strategy. And so, he went into the darkness, to set his stumbling block alight, and fuel the future!

What about you? Are you constantly missing out on what God calls you towards because you can’t let go of past experiences? As men, we won’t experience the changes we want until we make the changes we need. You won’t experience the intimacy you want with your wife until you stop fantasizing about other women. You won’t be as productive as you should be until you stop procrastinating. You will only start seeing a difference in relationships when you start intentionally investing in them. Only when you truly start striving towards holiness, will you experience the release of sin’s grip.

What’s also interesting about this passage is that it ends with Gideon undergoing a dramatic change in the sight of his relatives and townspeople. Initially, he was seen as the least in his father’s house (sound familiar to Kind David?). Now, he had made a new name for himself. A name endorsed by his own father’s backing. Almost as a transference of authority. When Gideon set fire to the false identities and false idols of his people, he suddenly became a force to be reckoned with. From zero to hero. From family least to family leader. Overnight.

When you stop sitting on the bench, you might become your family’s team captain. When you start shutting off the screens more often, you will be able to pick up the Word of God more powerfully. And like we’ll see with Gideon next, when you stop hiding in the holes of comfort, you can step up as a fearless leader to your friends and family.

Read Judges 6:19-32 and Reflect on the Following

1. What is there in your past that might be holding you back from reaching your full potential?

2. How have your past or present situations kept you from what God has in store for you?

3. How will you place these things on God’s altar to burn the past and fire up the future?

4. What do you need to pray about today?

Who are You?

Judges 6:11-18

I am a business owner. I am a salesman.  I am a teacher. I am a banker. I am a pastor. I am a farmer. I am a mechanic. I am a...whatever you do for a living? Right?

This is the usual response when a man is asked who he is, isn’t it? We place a lot of our value in what we do, where we come from, and what we’ve been called. Yet, we are not what we do, we will do what we are. And maybe we should stop staring blindly at what we’ve been called in the past and shift our focus to what God is calling us to be in the present!

Gideon is a Bible hero most of us have heard something about. I remember when the feature film ‘300’ was released in 2006, one of my friends thought it was going to be about Gideon. Obviously, he was wrong. It was about other men taking a heroic stand against oppression though, almost like Gideon’s story. But when we first meet Gideon in Judges 6, he doesn’t seem very heroic at all. In fact, he is hiding. He is literally a hidden hero, and he himself did not even know it. But he could not hide himself, nor his calling, from the God who created and called him in the first place.

“Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!”

This is how Gideon’s first personal encounter with God started. Ironic, if you take the context only at face value. But eye-opening when you realize what’s happening. God called out the man Gideon was meant to be, not what he had been trying to be or not be! Likewise, God calls us out to be the men we are meant to be, not what we’ve been trying to be, thinking of being, or diverting to be. Inside each of us is a hidden hero. A mighty warrior!

You don’t feel like it? Well, you’re not alone, check Gideon’s responses: “I am oppressed.” “I am the youngest.” “I am the weakest.” “I am insignificant.” Our responses might sound similar. “I am not any good at anything.” “I am only getting by as it is.” “I am uncertain and afraid.” But God’s response to us all says, “Go with My strength. I will be with you. You are who I say you are. I am waiting for you!”

Gideon was reassured three times that God would be with him, God would stick with him, and God had a different picture of him than he had of himself. You might think you are nothing, but your Father God is the King of the Universe! You may feel alone, but you’re a brother among many others in Christ Jesus! You may feel weak, but you are strong with His Holy Spirit in you!

You are made in the image of a living God. You can bear the resemblance of Christ to this world. He is a heroic King and a warrior God. Stop finding your value, and your identity, in what you do for a living, how much money you have in the bank, what you do for a hobby, or what you’ve been labeled as in the past. Start discovering your identity in who God made you to be: His son regardless. His warrior in the battle against darkness. His hero to your family and friends.

Remember, you are not what you do. But you will eventually do what you have in your thoughts and heart. You won’t become a hero when you do good deeds, you do good deeds because there’s a heroic nature inside of you. You don’t become a father only after you’ve led a healthy family, no you want to lead a healthy family because you’ve become a father. And you don’t get called a disciple of Christ because you’ve taught thousands, but you will start discipling others if you realize you are called to be a disciple of Christ.

Read Judges 6:11-18 and Reflect on the Following

1. In what things, other than Christ, have you previously found your identity, or labels even?

2. How can you rediscover your God-given identity as mentioned in today’s reading?

3. What do you need to pray about today?

A world in need

Judges 6:1-10

Have you had a good look at the world around you lately?

Maybe you live in a safe suburb, going through the motions, punching the clock, and spending weekends doing your own activities. Even so, you might still notice some brokenness around you. A colleague at work going through a tough time; another man, woman, or child who is homeless; someone at the grocery store with hurt in their eyes; even someone in your own home having to put up a brave face despite all the pain.

You don’t need to go much farther than your own doorstep to see a world in need. And then you haven’t even looked at war-ridden countries; refugees fleeing for their lives; women and children being sold and trafficked like just another commodity; fellow Christians being persecuted by authorities and terrorists – even unto death.

Sorry if this is shaking your boat or rattling your cage a little bit now. Well, truth be told, we’re living in a broken and confused world with a greater need than most of us care to admit. And this is our reality because men have dropped the ball, and the Church has looked the other way. Society is collapsing because our church members would rather sit and enjoy the show than step out in God’s Name with something to sow. But an even greater concern is that the men who know God and should study His Word, fail to implement it in their daily lives at home and at work.

In today’s reading we see that only a few years after the Israelites inhabited the Promised Land, they were once again oppressed by their neighboring nations. The picture painted in Scripture is bleak and resembles what we may even see today in many third-world countries. Poverty, famine, fear, and corruption, to name a few, were all the order of the day. In a spiritual sense, many more of our first-world nations might even look way worse than this. And the simple reason as to why is given to us in Judges: “I am the Lord your God… but you have forsaken me.”

Societies are collapsing. Not because the system is broken. What else could you have expected from a system with its foundation in a broken world? But societies’ downfalls are mainly because the Church is not truly functioning as Christ’s Body, and men of faith are not growing towards holistic maturity and acting in spiritual soundness. As E.M. Bounds wrote, “Men are God’s methods. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men.” Society, as well as the Church, will either stand or fall with men who act according to or abdicate, their God-given roles.

But we can turn the tide! Here and now! Through the next seven devotionals, we will take a deeper dive into Gideon’s story. And what we will see highlighted repeatedly is the Hidden Hero within every man. You see men, hidden within all of us is A Mighty Warrior, A Fearless Leader, and A Dauntless Disciple. But only when we truly find ourselves in the image of Jesus Christ as our King and Savior can we step up to fully walk in this.

Let’s take the journey with Jesus as we discover, or even reclaim, our identity, our calling, our position, and our authority – as men of faith!

Read Judges 6:1-10 and Reflect on the Following

1. In which ways have you noticed a broken world in need around you lately?

2. How have you, or have you not, felt like a warrior, a leader, and a disciple for Christ?

3. In what way might you have forsaken God?

4. What do you need to pray about today?

Weak Warrior, Strong Saviour

Judges 6:12, 14–16 (NIV)

Who do you picture when you think of a mighty warrior? I picture Hercules or Thor. I don’t picture Shaggy from Scooby Doo. When we first meet Gideon in Judges 6, he has way more in common with Shaggy than Thor. In Judges 6:11, he’s threshing wheat in a winepress out of fear for the Midianites. Today, this would be like washing your car in your bathtub because you’re afraid of your neighbor. Doesn’t sound like a mighty warrior, right?

And Gideon knows this, because when he’s told, “Go with the strength you have, and rescue Israel from the Midianites,” Gideon responds, “But Lord, how can I rescue Israel? My clan is the weakest in the whole tribe of Manasseh, and I am the least in my entire family!” 

He’s a weak warrior from a weak family. So, why is he called a mighty warrior? God tells him with the first words He speaks to him and then again in verse 16: “I will be with you!” And as Romans 8:31 (NIV) says, “If God is for us, who can be against us?”

Now, I want to point out the most important detail of this interaction: the angel of the Lord. Who is He? It’s Jesus! The One who 1,200 years later would be called Immanuel—God with us—was literally with Gideon.

However, when Gideon realizes he’s in the presence of the Lord, he becomes even more fearful! But Jesus tells him, “Peace! Do not be afraid” (Judges 6:23 NIV). He speaks peace to Gideon. This same peace, relief, and release from fear is available to us!

As Christians, we don’t have to walk in fear because the perfect love of Jesus drives out fear through the power of the Holy Spirit (1 John 4:18)! Because He is with us, we can walk in His plan and purposes with courage, boldness, and supernatural strength. We don’t have to live in fear because “The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you” (Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV). 

This is what makes Gideon mighty! Gideon has a mighty God on his side who is going to accomplish mighty things in and through him. You see, God’s calling on your life is also God’s enabling! What does that mean? It means that anything God calls you to do, endure, or step out in faith for, He enables you by the power of the Spirit to carry out. And so, “go in the strength you have” means that He’s sending you with His power.

Go, friend, mighty man or woman of valor, because the valor of Jesus is upon you. His might, power, peace, strength, grace, and love are upon you! All Gideon had to do, all we have to do, is trust.

Pause: In today’s culture, why is it hard to let some of our weaknesses and flaws show? What is one way you can choose to depend more on God’s strength in your life?

Practice: Where is God calling you to step out in obedience? Maybe He’s calling you to switch majors or careers, move to a new city, move across the world as a missionary, start a Bible study, seek counseling, or start a conversation with a coworker, classmate, or neighbor about Jesus. Maybe, like the people of Israel at the beginning of Judges 6, you feel Him inviting you to repent or break free from a stronghold! Whatever it is, go in the strength of Jesus! Go in prayer, obedience, worship, trust, boldness, confidence, faith, and with great expectation! While the call may seem scary, you don’t have to walk in fear because God is with you every step of the way, and He will bless your obedience and do a greater work than you could ever imagine!

Pray: Father, I pray You would help me in my fears and provide me the strength to walk in the purposes and plans You have for me. Amen.

Who you really are

Col.1:22

Rev.5:9

We have uncovered many false masks and identities that we use to hide our true self. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born a man, walked the earth and lived a perfect life. Though he did no wrong, he was crucified and took on the sins of the world. He nailed them to the Cross. Because of his sacrifice, we have a new identity. Here’s a list of what God says "Who You Really Are" as a follower of Jesus Christ.

I am blameless and free from accusation. (Colossians 1:22)

Christ Himself is in me. (Colossians 1:27)

I am firmly rooted in Christ and am now being built up in Him. (Colossians 2:7)

I have been made complete in Christ. (Colossians 2:10)

I have been spiritually circumcised. My old unregenerate nature has been removed. (Colossians 2:11)

I have been buried, raised, and made alive with Christ. (Colossians 2:12-13)

I died with Christ, and I have been raised up with Christ. My life is now hidden with Christ in God. Christ is now my life. (Colossians 1:1-4)

I am an expression of the life of Christ because He is my life. (Colossians 3:4)

I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved. (Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4)

I am a son of light and not of darkness. (1 Thessalonians 5:5)

I have been given a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)

I have been saved and set apart according to God’s doing. (2 Timothy 1:9; Titus 3:5)

Because I am sanctified and am one with the Sanctifier, He is not ashamed to call me brother. (Hebrews 2:11)

I am a holy partaker of a heavenly calling. (Hebrews 3:1)

I have the right to come boldly before the throne of God to find mercy and grace in a time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)

I have been born again. (1 Peter 1:23)

I am one of God’s living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house. (1 Peter 2:5)

I am a member of a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a People for God’s own possession. (1 Peter 2:9-10)

I am an alien and stranger to this world in which I temporarily live. (1 Peter 2:11)

I am forgiven on account of Jesus’ name. (1 John 2:12)

I am anointed by God. (1 John 2:27)

I am a child of God, and I will resemble Christ when He returns. (1 John 3:1,2)

I am loved. (1 John 4:10)

I am like Christ. (1 John 4:10)

I have life. (1 John 5:12)

I am born of God and the evil one, the devil, cannot touch me. (1 John 5:`8)

I have been redeemed. (Revelation 5:9)

 

UNCOMMEN exists to encourage men to be better Leaders, Husbands, and Dads by equipping individuals and organizations with inspiring and educational resources. Our vision is to help men succeed at being the man they were always meant to be.

Why We Exist

Because the stats don’t lie, the common man spends a lot of time chasing the urgent over the important and consuming fantasy over investing in what matters.

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When men win, we don’t have to build as many shelters for abandoned families, or pay the psychological and emotional toll for fatherless kids, or care for so many abused and neglected wives.

If we’re going to solve societal ills, we need a few uncommon approaches. Instead of yelling at dudes, “Hey loser, shape up or ship out!” and heaping societal shame and guilt on their shoulders, we designed a mobile app that connects guys to each other and challenges them to engage their wives, kids, friends, co-workers, employees…pretty much anybody that means jack squat to them.

We believe men respond to challenges far more than criticisms.

An Identity Formed

Eph.1:5

1 Peter 2:9

Rom.6:6

John Eldredge, author of Wild at Heart  once said: “Identity is not something that falls on us out of the sky. For better or for worse, identity is bestowed.” We are who we are in relation to others.”

Think back to the people who had the biggest impact on your life. Either positive or negative. What did they say to you? What did they say about you? How did they treat those around them? Deep down, the heart of every man is to be impacted by others and to have an impact on the world around them. We long to know that we make a difference in this life. A man that thinks his life isn’t worth much at all is hardly alive. To know that we matter, that our presence cannot be replaced by a car, a possession, or even another person. The awful burden of the false self is that it must constantly be maintained.

We think we have to keep doing something to be desired. Look at TV commercials geared towards men. Do this to get that. Use this razor for a beautiful woman to hang all over you. Drive this truck to be accepted. Once we find something that will bring us some attention, we have to keep it going or risk the loss of the attention. For many men, that false identity is found in daily work. So we work hard to get that false identity affirmed by a company or entity that will discard us when we are no longer “valuable” to the bottom line. It's no surprise that depression and loss of identity are a large concern anytime a man loses his job.

We all live with the fear of not being chosen for the team, or the job and the burden of maintaining whatever it is about us. We develop a functional self-image, even if it is a negative one.

The other day my son was so proud to show me how he had decorated my SUV with sidewalk chalk. I remember saying to him "What do you think you're doing? You've made a mess!" My son dropped his shoulders in shame. And it nearly brought him to tears. I quickly recognized my mistake and tried to tell him I loved his artwork but use a piece of paper next time. But maybe the damage was already done: the boy forms an identity: “My art is bad. My impact is awful; I foul good things up. I am a fouler.” And he forms a commitment to himself to be afraid of fouling it up again. Years later, his wife wonders why he’s afraid to be more intimate; his colleagues wonder why he turned down a big job. The answer lies in his identity, an identity he received from the impact he had on the most important person in his world and his fear of ever being in such a place again. I am learning as a young father that the words we speak over our children carry a lot of weight.

But the good news is that the words Christ speaks over us carry much more weight if we allow them to sink into our hearts. God created humans to have unique characteristics and purpose. However, he designed us also to have a commonality of contentment with our lives through His will. We discover our true identity the more closely we are drawn to Him.

Removing the Mask

2 Cor.4:2

Two questions we will discuss today:

1. Who am I?

2. Who am I created to be?

Honesty time: Do you struggle to be the same person on Sunday morning that you are during the rest of your week? Does it drive you nuts that you are different when you walk into this place and then out “there” you are someone else? Do you feel like you speak in a different voice at work than you do to your friends? Do you find yourself using one tone with your wife and one with a client?

A few months back, we did some  fun time where kids will travel with parents around neighborhoods dressed in costume and masks for the sole purpose of collecting candy.

While many of us have outgrown going door to door asking for candy, we have never outgrown the need for wearing masks in front of our friends and even family. Oh, your mask may not be visible or physical. But it’s there. Even worse we may even be fooling ourselves. And the question of: “Who are you? I mean…who are you REALLY?” has you totally frustrated and confused. I believe many are struggling to be the same person on Sunday morning that they are during the rest of the week. And so wearing their mask has them totally content. Maybe you like your mask; even if it’s false.

There are only two purposes of wearing a mask:

1. To change your identity. At Church, you look like a Christian. Around non-Christians, you blend in just fine, because you wear a mask to ‘fit in.' And like a chameleon, you secure your cover in place because you want to blend into your surroundings.

2. To hide your identity. You don’t want people to see the ‘real’ you.

Let me tell you two truths about the masks you wear:

1. None of the masks you wear are remotely close to who you are!

2. None of the masks you wear are remotely close to who God created you to be!

Who you are and Whose you are

John 1:12; 15:15

Rom.8:17

Yesterday we talked about a false identity and how we often find it easy to outsource our self-worth to things that don’t help us. Today we want to talk about where we came from. I have a five-year-old son who is bright eyed and ever so curious about the world around him. He is always asking me endless questions about how things work, where this road we are driving will take us, how many minutes until we get there... You get the picture.

Sometimes I get annoyed by it all and just want some peace and quiet. But I am careful not to kill that curiosity in him. Here’s why: It is our curiosity to know where we came from as men, that will give us a roadmap to who we are, and why we are the way we are. Every day before my son goes off to school, I grab him by both shoulders, kneel down and tell him “You are my son. I am proud of you. You are dearly loved by your mother and me. You are a Casey. Now go out there and do your best.” He always smiles and wriggles out of my arms. But I believe with all of my heart that my son needs to hear his identity every day as a young boy. It becomes part of how he thinks about himself. Because as he leaves preschool and steps out further, the world will offer him an opposing view about who he is, and who he belongs to.

For many of us, that can be a painful journey as we learn about our fathers, or maybe even fathers we did not know. Maybe our father was present every day physically in the home but not there emotionally or spiritually for us. As I look in the mirror in the mornings and look at my kids over a bowl of cereal, maybe I’m that father.

When we are born, we have earthly parents. But even more divine, we begin a spiritual journey as well with God. God begins to pursue our hearts, and tell us who we are through dependence first on our mothers for nourishment, and also on our fathers for provision as well in other ways as we grow. We learn through our surroundings about who God is without even knowing it.

God says in His word that we are his children, we have a birthright, heir to the inheritance, and that He is our Father. Let’s all meditate on what that means today, rather than saying what we typically think of ourselves.

Read these verses over and over today. Post them on your bathroom mirror, in your car, or on your wall in your office. Say them day in and day out until you believe and know them in your head and your heart. Watch what God will do when you know your identity in Christ as a Child of God, and Heir to the Throne.